The Critical Dictionary of Southeast Asia
Ho Tzu Nyen, Singaporean, born 1976
2017-ongoing
Single-channel HD digital video installation, color, 5-channel sound, algorithmic editing system, infinite duration; LED lights, and PC computer
3/3 and 2AP
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Purchased through the Evelyn A. and William B. Jaffe 2015 Fund
Images courtesy the artist and Edouard Malingue Gallery. © Ho Tzu Nyen and Kiang Malingue
2019.40
Geography
Place Made: China, East Asia, Asia
Period
21st century
Object Name
Time Based Media
Research Area
Time Based Media
Not on view
Label
In this infinite film (known by its acronym CDOSEA), Ho Tzu Nyen weaves together “a torn and tattered tapestry of Southeast Asia.” CDOSEA is a visual and sonic dictionary comprised of an alphabetized list of concepts. The artist amassed an archive of filmic works that correspond to terminology that the West has used to define Southeast Asia. An algorithm arbitrarily interweaves this visual material based on the keywords attached to each clip. Weaving digital footage is a postcolonial practice through which Ho interrogates “what constitutes the unity of Southeast Asia.” The term “Southeast Asia” itself, a product of the colonial legacy, fails to fully capture the region’s diverse cultures and societies. Each time one views a particular letter, it presents a different compilation of various clips, reflecting the endless possibilities for defining Southeast Asia. The video is accompanied by the musical speech of Singaporean musician Bani Haykal, who hums the research notes that Ho accumulated for several years. Interwoven into the visuals, these sounds offer an additional lens through which to experience the dictionary’s keywords.
From the 2025 exhibition Weaving as Method: Intertwining Postcolonial Narratives in Contemporary Southeast Asian Art, curated by Haely Chang, Jane and Raphael Bernstein Associate Curator of East Asian Art
Course History
FILM 03, Digital Art and Culture, Mary Flanagan, Summer 2019
SPEE 26, How New Media Shapes Our Lives Rhetoric, Theory, and Praxis, Svetlana Grushina, Winter 2020
FILM 47.20, Curating and Microcinema: Make Your Own Culture, Jodie Mack, Summer 2022
Environmental Studies 44.01/Geography 44.01, Environment and Politics in Southeast Asia, Chris Sneddon, Winter 2023
Geography 44.01, Environmental Sciences 44.01, Environment and Politics of Southeast Asia, Christopher Sneddon, Winter 2024
Provenance
Edouard Malinque Gallery, Hong Kong; sold to present collection, 2019.
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